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Illinois Basketball: Top 3 Illini recruiting targets after missing on Cam Whitmore

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 24: An Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleader is seen before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at State Farm Center on February 24, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 24: An Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleader is seen before the game against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at State Farm Center on February 24, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2. AJ Casey

Beyond Ty Rodgers, the possibility of Illinois bringing in another top 100 recruit seems thin. The best option after Rodgers would be AJ Casey.

Casey is a 6-foot-8, 180-pound power forward from Whitney Young High School and resides in Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 112 player in the class of 2022. He is also the No. 21 power forward in the nation and the No. 3 player coming out of Illinois.

It seems that Casey is coming down to a decision sometime in the near future. He is starting to take a few of his official visits.

On August 5, Casey cut his list down to just eight programs. Since then, he took an official visit to Miami (FL) on September 26. He then visited DePaul on October 3. Casey also took an official visit to Ohio State back in June. So, the question remains, who will get the final two visits from the talented forward?

Illinois is still in the running for Casey. I was able to get confirmation that Casey was still interested in the Illini and they were interested in him just a few weeks ago. So, I wouldn’t be shocked to see the kid visit Champaign one more time.

One thing I am shocked about is how far Casey has dropped in the recruiting rankings. At one time earlier this year, 247Sports had him in the top 20 nationally and as a five-star recruit. Now he is a sub-60 player and a four-star. Those are just rankings, though. Teams from all over the country are still wanting this kid to suit up for their program.

Overall, I would say Illinois is probably in the top three for Casey. I would put DePaul as the leader in the clubhouse right now. It is just a feeling, but the Blue Demons feel like they are the team to beat.

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